Tier 2 Before a Referral
Dev is a first grader in a school using a tiered framework. In January, his universal screening score falls below the 20th percentile. His teacher says he cannot comprehend. A running record shows he reads a first-grade passage at 45 words correct per minute with 92% accuracy and retells only one idea. In conversation, however, he tells a complete, sequenced story about a lost dog and answers why questions with relevant explanations. He has missed 12 school days since September. The Tier 1 block is 90 minutes of core instruction. A part-time interventionist has been pulling him twice weekly for 20 minutes to complete phonics worksheets; there are no records of which lessons he received or whether he attended. The student support team is ready to refer him for special education evaluation.
1. What additional information should the team gather before making a referral, and why is each piece important?
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The team needs to separate decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Dev's 92% accuracy suggests word recognition is not his primary barrier on that passage, but a nonsense-word or word-reading probe would confirm whether he can decode unfamiliar words. A listening comprehension task would show whether he understands grade-level text when decoding is removed; his oral storytelling suggests strong oral language, but that is not the same as comprehending informational text. The team also needs attendance data, a record of the intervention's content, minutes delivered, and fidelity, and evidence that Tier 1 instruction was strong. Twelve absences can explain slow progress, and worksheet-based intervention may not match his assessed need. Vision and hearing screening should be current. The referral decision should rest on a pattern of need and insufficient response to adequate intervention, not on a single screening score or a teacher's general impression.
2. Design a Tier 2 intervention for Dev with a clear focus and progress-monitoring plan.
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Use assessment to choose the focus. If decoding is accurate and listening comprehension is strong, target comprehension strategies and retell of text he can decode: story grammar, beginning-middle-end, character-problem-solution, and text-dependent questions. If a decoding probe shows gaps, provide explicit phonics with decodable text. Deliver 30 minutes three times weekly in a small group, with explicit modeling, guided practice, and immediate feedback. Coordinate with Tier 1 so the skills transfer. Monitor every two weeks with a brief retell rubric or maze task, and track words read correctly and accuracy. Also track attendance and document each session. Set a goal such as retelling three story elements with two supporting details by week eight. Do not change the intervention every week; give it enough time to produce a trend before judging response.
3. What decision rules should the team use after eight to ten weeks, and how should attendance and fidelity affect the decision?
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First, verify that Dev received the intended dose. If he attended fewer than about 80% of sessions or the intervention was not delivered as planned, the data cannot support a referral; the team should address attendance and implementation first. If he attended regularly and the intervention was delivered with fidelity but his progress-monitoring trend remains flat or declining, the team has evidence of insufficient response and should consider a comprehensive evaluation. If he is improving but still below benchmark, continue Tier 2 with adjustments rather than referring. If he meets the goal, fade support and monitor. The team should also compare his progress with that of similar peers and review whether the intervention matched his assessed need. A referral is not the default next step; it follows documented, appropriate intervention and insufficient response.